The Patriots announced the new jersey numbers for their free-agent additions Thursday: wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87), safety Kevin Byard (31), offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker (75), edge defender Dre’Mont Jones (5), fullback Reggie Gilliam (44), safety Mike Brown (33) and tight end Julian Hill (80).
Byard is taking No. 31 from fellow safety Craig Woodson, who will now wear No. 4, according to the team’s website.
“We talked yesterday. I think we came to a little agreement,” Byard said Thursday. “I’ve been wearing 31 my entire career and I don’t really want to change numbers.”
#### Jones down to 260
New Patriots edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones has played all across the defensive line over his pro career.
He’s rushed from the interior, as well as off the edge, playing at a listed weight of 281 pounds that helped him bounce between both alignments. But last season, when he totaled seven sacks and 24 quarterback hits between stops in Baltimore and Tennessee, Jones said he was lighter than his listed weight.
Last season, he played closer to 260 pounds, and on Thursday, the Patriots’ newest pass rusher said he intends to remain in that range. That should bode well for a defense that will need his edge rush as a projected starter opposite Harold Landry.
Asked why he chose to sign with New England during a press conference Thursday, Jones kept it simple.
“(Mike Vrabel) and winning. (I’m) pretty simple about it,” he said. “They literally got out of the Super Bowl a month ago. I’ve never been in the playoffs, so hopefully, now that I’m here, playoffs and Super Bowl appearances will happen again.”
#### Extra points
Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height is scheduled to take a pre-draft visit with the Patriots, according to NFL analyst Ryan Fowler. Height had nine sacks last season and impressed at the Senior Bowl. He’s a projected Day 2 pick … The Patriots signed new tight end Julian Hill to a three-year, $18 million contract, according to ESPN. Hill spent the first three seasons of his career in Miami. … Jaguars general manager James Gladstone shut down speculation Jacksonville might trade third-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who regressed last season after recording more than 1,000 yards as a rookie. The Patriots were one of the teams speculated to have potential interest in Thomas Jr., a 2024 first-round pick out of LSU.